Wanda's Book Reviewshttp://booklikes.com/photo/crop/50/50/upload/avatar/2/5/2526ae31d7686bdf9a73380b7f5c6a00.jpgwandapedersen39http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com2018-03-19T12:46:02+00:00http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com/rssphoto2018-03-16T14:03:00+00:002018-03-16T14:03:00+00:00http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com/post/1650680/postwandapedersen39http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com
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review: Victoria & Abdul / Shrabani Basu2018-03-15T17:52:00+00:002018-03-15T17:52:00+00:00http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com/post/1650491/victoria-abdul-shrabani-basuwandapedersen39http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com
The tall, handsome Abdul Karim was just twenty-four years old when he arrived in England from Agra to wait at tables during Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. An assistant clerk at Agra Central Jail, he suddenly found himself a personal attendant to the Empress of India herself. Within a year, he was established as a powerful figure at court, becoming the queen's teacher, or Munshi, and instructing her in Urdu and Indian affairs. Devastated by the death of John Brown, her Scottish gillie, the queen had at last found his replacement. But her intense and controversial relationship with the Munshi led to a near-revolt in the royal household. Victoria & Abdul examines how a young Indian Muslim came to play a central role at the heart of the Empire, and his influence over the queen at a time when independence movements in the sub-continent were growing in force. Yet, at its heart, it is a tender love story between an ordinary Indian and his elderly queen, a relationship that survived the best attempts to destroy it.

I saw the film based on this book last year and really enjoyed it, but I had to wonder how much the screenwriters had fiddled with the facts to make a more engaging film. When I saw that this year’s PopSugar challenge included a category called “Book made into a movie that you’ve already seen,” I immediately knew which book I would be reading.

I was grateful for the author’s footnotes and references—she certainly did her research. I think we all feel we “know” about Queen Victoria, but I found I really only had a general impression of the woman. I had no idea until seeing the film that she had Indian people serving in her household or that she had become close friends with one of them.

In many ways, this is a story of a lonely woman who finds a friend and a new interest in life. I would agree with the author, that Her Maj was a romantic at heart and the exoticness of India (in comparison to Britain) was what drew her to Abdul Karim and his culture. I was impressed by her devotion to the study of Urdu and her proficiency in that language at the end of her life—she got a late start, but made excellent headway on a language that was far different than others she was used to.

As Abdul became one of her favourites, it was inevitable that he would become the target of people who were jealous. The Queen believed much of the rivalry to be a result of racism, and I would have to agree with her assessment. If Abdul had been a white man (like John Brown), there would still have been resentment, but not the volcanic rage that seemed to permeate the Royal Household regarding this Indian man. It must have been a very lonely life for Abdul, as well, with the other Indians begrudging him his relationship with the Queen, not to mention the hatred of the Caucasian members of staff.

Regarding the film versus the book, I think the film stayed pretty true to the facts. There were a few events that were left out (you can’t include everything) and a few things where the order of events may have been slightly changed, but it remained very true to the feel of the book. Overall, I would say that I enjoyed the film more.

An interesting window into the life of an intriguing woman.

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text: TBR Thursday2018-03-15T15:20:00+00:002018-03-15T15:20:00+00:00http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com/post/1650470/tbr-thursdaywandapedersen39http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com
Actually, this is just a fraction of my library book pile, but they are the ones that I'm going to concentrate on for the next week or so.

Three of them have holds on them, so they can't be renewed--Birding Without Borders, Dear Fahrenheit 451, and The Shoe on the Roof. The subject matter of the three couldn't be more different, so it should be an interesting week.

Now I Rise is the second book in The Conqueror's Saga. The first book, And I Darken, is the book for April in my real-life book club. I read that one last year, so I'm going to forge ahead into the second book before our meet up on April 6.

It seems appropriate to read Stephen Hawking's autobiography, My Brief History, to celebrate the great man's life.

And Gap Into Vision : Forbidden Knowledge is the next up in my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project. I'm glad to have finally found a series by Stephen R. Donaldson that I actually kind of like.

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review: Tricks for Free / Seanan McGuire2018-03-14T15:30:00+00:002018-03-14T15:30:00+00:00http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com/post/1650295/tricks-for-free-seanan-mcguirewandapedersen39http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com
Antimony Price is on the run. With the Covenant on her tail and her family still in danger, she needs to get far, far away from anyone who might recognize her--including her own mice. For the first time in a long time, a Price is flying without a safety net. Where do you go when you need to disappear into a crowd without worrying about attracting attention? An amusement park, of course.

Some people would call Lowryland the amusement park. It's one of the largest in Florida, the keystone of the Lowry entertainment empire...but for Annie, it's a place to hide. She's just trying to keep her head down long enough to come up with a plan that will get her home without getting anyone killed. No small order when she's rooming with gorgons and sylphs, trying to placate frustrated ghosts, and rushing to get to work on time.

Then the accidents begin. The discovery of a dead man brings Annie to the attention of the secret cabal of magic users running Lowryland from behind the scenes. They want the fire that sleeps in her fingers. They want her on their side. They want to help her--although their help, like everything else, comes with a price.

I picked up this paperback in the store on the day it was released, but it took me a few days to get around to reading it. I went in knowing that the Aeslin mice really didn’t feature in it (Sam takes them to the airport and they head for home). Would the magic still be there without the mice?

I enjoyed the mouse-less adventure just as much as the previous books. It also helped that there was an adorable novella featuring Mindy & Mork (Annie’s mice) at the end of the book. I’m liking Annie better than I did in the previous novel and will look forward to her further adventures in the next one. The presence of “Aunt” Mary, the ghost, also ties in one of McGuire’s other storylines, combining the two nicely.

Obviously I read this because I love the series and I’m a big fan of Seanan McGuire. But it also filled a space in my PopSugar challenge (a book published in 2018).

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text: The List for This Evening....2018-03-14T14:40:00+00:002018-03-14T14:40:00+00:00http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com/post/1650289/the-list-for-this-eveningwandapedersen39http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com
Give me a hero biscuit, I did housework last night! It's the first time I've given a crap about such things since I got home from Taiwan, sick & exhausted! But, my neatnik sister is coming to visit, so I must try to scrape up some motivation from somewhere.

Tonight I need to:

1. Clean out the fridge

2. Do the organics recycling

3. If I was really good, I'd empty the regular recycling too

4. Empty the dishwasher

5. Wash the stuff that didn't make it in the dishwasher

6. See if I have time to finish the two books above.

That sounds manageable to me right now, but after work all bets are off. (We're training for a new computer system and getting ready to move to a new office miles away from the current one right now).

Books are currently my retreat from real life and boy do I appreciate them.

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review: Dunbar / Edward St. Aubyn2018-03-12T14:28:00+00:002018-03-12T14:28:00+00:00http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com/post/1649800/dunbar-edward-st-aubynwandapedersen39http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com
‘I really did have an empire, you know,’ said Dunbar. ‘Have I ever told you the story of how it was stolen from me?’

Henry Dunbar, the once all-powerful head of a global corporation, is not having a good day. In his dotage he handed over care of the family firm to his two eldest daughters, Abby and Megan. But relations quickly soured, leaving him doubting the wisdom of past decisions...

Now imprisoned in a care home in the Lake District with only a demented alcoholic comedian as company, Dunbar starts planning his escape. As he flees into the hills, his family is hot on his heels. But who will find him first, his beloved youngest daughter, Florence, or the tigresses Abby and Megan, so keen to divest him of his estate?

This is the Hogath Shakespeare’s version of King Lear, a play that I have seen performed at least twice in the last couple of years. It’s a powerful story and I would imagine that it would be a daunting piece to take on in a retelling such as this one, but Edward St. Aubyn was certainly up to the task!

I picked it up Sunday morning, meaning to just get a start on it. After all, I already knew the inevitable ending—everybody dies, right? But St. Aubyn’s creation grabbed me and would not let go! He made it fresh with Henry Dunbar, the media mogul, whose hubris has brought him low. I read the entire thing before lunch!

I was impressed by both performances of Lear that I’ve seen, but they both played up Lear as suffering from dementia, as that’s one of the concerns of modern society. But St. Aubyn returned to Shakespeare’s original intention, I think, that Dunbar is brought low by his desire to have privilege without responsibility. Like Lear in the play, Dunbar regains his wits just long enough to realize all that he has lost, a truly tragic ending.

I really loved the drunken comedian, Peter Walker, in his role as the fool. That was an inspired bit of casting on the author’s part.

How have I not read any of St. Aubyn’s work before? That mistake must be corrected!

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review: The Librarian of Auschwitz / Antonio Iturbe2018-03-12T14:27:00+00:002018-03-12T14:27:00+00:00http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com/post/1649799/the-librarian-of-auschwitz-antonio-iturbewandapedersen39http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com
Based on the experience of real-life Auschwitz prisoner Dita Kraus, this is the incredible story of a girl who risked her life to keep the magic of books alive during the Holocaust.Fourteen-year-old Dita is one of the many imprisoned by the Nazis at Auschwitz. Taken, along with her mother and father, from the Terezín ghetto in Prague, Dita is adjusting to the constant terror that is life in the camp. When Jewish leader Freddy Hirsch asks Dita to take charge of the eight precious volumes the prisoners have managed to sneak past the guards, she agrees. And so Dita becomes the librarian of Auschwitz.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit, but I must admit that I was hoping for more. The story itself is fascinating and that’s what kept me reading. The writing was pedestrian, which was a disappointment. Still, I would recommend the book to those looking for an inspirational story concerning Auschwitz.

The narrative closely follows Dita Kraus, a 14 year old girl in the Auschwitz family camp and her experiences as the keeper and protector of eight forbidden books. I was interested that one of them was a history text by H.G. Wells, as I have been cataloguing a large collection of Wells’ writing during my work hours. I was also glad to see that they had several people that they designated as “living books” because they could tell certain stories (one woman could recount The Count of Monte Cristo). The concept of living books has recently been used at our city’s public library, so I was thrilled to see an example of the history of the practice.

If this time period and setting are interests of yours, I would recommend this book.

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review: Exile / R.A. Salvatore2018-03-12T14:21:00+00:002018-03-12T14:21:00+00:00http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com/post/1649798/exile-r-a-salvatorewandapedersen39http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com
Hostile in ways that a surface-dweller could never know, the tunnel-mazes of the Underdark challenge all who tread there. Among these souls are Drizzt Do’Urden and his magical cat, Guenhwyvar. Exiled from his drow homeland, Drizzt must fight for a new home in the boundless labyrinth. Meanwhile, he must watch for signs of pursuit—for the dark elves are not a forgiving race.

The books in this series have the virtue of being quick & easy to read, perfect for a Friday evening after a long work week. This is book two of Drizzt’s back story—wherein he lives by himself in the tunnels of the Underdark until he can’t take the solitude anymore and seeks companionship with mixed results.

As one of my cousins pointed out to me, Salvatore writes great fight scenes and they are very much on display in this installment. In fact, the book is basically a series of fights, stitched together with a very little bit of plot. I will also give Salvatore credit for inventing some great Underdark creatures and cultures for Drizzt to fight with.

Book number 274 in my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.

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text: Next books due at the library2018-03-09T16:22:00+00:002018-03-09T16:22:00+00:00http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com/post/1649271/next-books-due-at-the-librarywandapedersen39http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com
I'm over halfway through The Librarian of Auschwitz, so will finish it this weekend without fail. The story is fascinating, though the writing is pedestrian.

Dunbar is part of the Hogarth Shakespeare series, the retelling of King Lear. I'll at least make a start on it over the weekend.

Looking ahead, I'll hope to start Victoria & Abdul. I saw the movie version last year and really enjoyed it.

And, as temperatures here finally begin to warm up to the freezing point (we may get to +3 C today), I'm getting the itch to go birding. Hence Birding Without Borders to get me fired up for the new birding year.

Have a fabulous weekend, friends!

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review: The Inimitable Jeeves / P.G. Wodehouse2018-03-09T16:13:00+00:002018-03-09T16:13:00+00:00http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com/post/1649267/the-inimitable-jeeves-p-g-wodehousewandapedersen39http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com
A classic collection of stories featuring some of the funniest episodes in the life of Bertie Wooster, gentleman, and Jeeves, his gentleman's gentleman--in which Bertie's terrifying Aunt Agatha stalks the pages, seeking whom she may devour, while Bertie's friend Bingo Little falls in love with seven different girls in succession (including the bestselling romantic novelist Rosie M. Banks). And Bertie, with Jeeves's help, hopes to evade the clutches of the terrifying Honoria Glossop... At its heart is one of Wodehouse's most delicious stories, 'The Great Sermon Handicap.'

At last, I have met Bertie Wooster and his man Jeeves. They are an amusing pair. Wodehouse’s writing is a pleasure to read, although I don’t think I’m up to plunging into the next book right away. For me, it will be most effective in smaller doses.

I have to wonder if this was where the Monty Python group got their first ideas for the Upper Class Twit of the Year sketches? The dim-witted Bertie and the lovelorn Bingo would be helpless without the well-informed Jeeves, who sorts out their various problems.

I loved Bertie’s penchant for purple socks and red cummerbunds, not to mention Eton spats! All of which Jeeves manages to dispense with to return Bertie to his bland, proper best. I also enjoyed Aunt Agatha’s determined meddling and Bertie’s reluctant involvement in the family battles.

My enjoyment of Dorothy Sayer’s Lord Peter Wimsey series inspired me to give Wodehouse a try—the two authors were contemporaries, and I suspected that the relationship between Lord Peter and his butler Bunter might be a nod to Wooster & Jeeves. Lord Peter may have started out a bit more like Bertie in the first book, but he quickly became a sleuth to be reckoned with; however the relationship between Lord and butler has definite similarities, confirming my hypothesis.

I’m delighted to have made their acquaintance and shall continue on with their adventures in the near future!

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text: I went to the bookstore after work yesterday!2018-03-07T14:45:00+00:002018-03-07T14:45:00+00:00http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com/post/1648760/i-went-to-the-bookstore-after-work-yesterdaywandapedersen39http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com
This is my haul--I kept it small, because, you know, budgets. I could happily have snagged a couple of cookbooks too, but I made myself put them back.

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text: Available Today2018-03-06T19:34:00+00:002018-03-06T19:34:00+00:00http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com/post/1648573/available-todaywandapedersen39http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com
Tricks for Free by Seanan McGuire is available today. Although this volume is missing the Aeslin Mice, I am still anxious to read it. I predict a trip to the book store after work.
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review: Alias Grace / Margaret Atwood2018-03-05T17:02:00+00:002018-03-05T17:02:00+00:00http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com/post/1648120/alias-grace-margaret-atwoodwandapedersen39http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com
Grace Marks has been convicted for her involvement in the vicious murders of her employer, Thomas Kinnear, and Nancy Montgomery, his housekeeper and mistress. Some believe Grace is innocent; others think her evil or insane. Now serving a life sentence, Grace claims to have no memory of the murders.

Dr. Simon Jordan, an up-and-coming expert in the burgeoning field of mental illness, is engaged by a group of reformers and spiritualists who seek a pardon for Grace. He listens to her story while bringing her closer and closer to the day she cannot remember. What will he find in attempting to unlock her memories? Is Grace a female fiend? A bloodthirsty femme fatale? Or is she the victim of circumstances?

I read this novel to fill the A in my Women Authors A to Z reading challenge and a “Book about a villain or anti-hero” for my 2018 PopSugar challenge.

For me, Margaret Atwood rarely disappoints and Alias Grace was no exception. Despite the fact that I’m recovering from a nasty cold and need all the sleep that I can get, I found myself up after bedtime, obsessively following the life of Grace Marks. Atwood has taken a historical figure and told her story—sticking to the facts, but embroidering around them in a beguiling fashion.The themes are timeless—who is telling the truth? Whose truth? Who are we to believe? Does the justice system really offer us justice? Who gets to decide?

Though much of the novel is seen through Grace’s eyes, I still didn’t feel like I knew her well enough to judge—did she assist with the murders or was she merely an accessory after the fact? All of the might-have-beens weighed heavily on me. If only she had chosen this path or that one, things might have been so different.

A truly engrossing story.

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review: Bellevue Square / Michael Redhill2018-03-05T16:29:00+00:002018-03-05T16:29:00+00:00http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com/post/1648116/bellevue-square-michael-redhillwandapedersen39http://wandapedersen39.booklikes.com
Jean Mason has a doppelganger. At least, that's what people tell her. Apparently it hangs out in Kensington Market, where it sometimes buys churros and shops for hats. Jean doesn't rattle easy, not like she used to. She's a grown woman with a husband and two kids, as well as a thriving business, and Toronto is a fresh start for the whole family. She certainly doesn't want to get involved in anything dubious, but still . . . why would two different strangers swear up and down they'd just seen her--with shorter hair furthermore?

Jean's curiosity quickly gets the better of her, and she visits the market, but sees no one who looks like her. The next day, she goes back to look again. And the day after that. Before she knows it, she's spending an hour here, an afternoon there, watching, taking notes, obsessing and getting scared. With the aid of a small army of locals who hang around in the market's only park, she expands her surveillance, making it known she'll pay for information or sightings. A peculiar collection of drug addicts, scam artists, philanthropists, philosophers and vagrants--the regulars of Bellevue Square--are eager to contribute to Jean's investigation. But when some of them start disappearing, it becomes apparent that her alleged double has a sinister agenda. Unless Jean stops her, she and everyone she cares about will face a fate stranger than death

I rate this book at 3.5 stars. This despite the fact that I almost quit reading about halfway through it. At that point, it seemed like just another domestic noir novel and I couldn’t see why it was a Giller prize finalist—what could it possibly offer to deserve that? But I was home on a snowy day, appointments cancelled, coffee waiting, reading blanket at the ready, and I decided that I would give it a few more pages.

Suddenly things took a completely unexpected turn. I found myself questioning everything. The rest of the book slaloms back and forth between realities until I couldn’t distinguish between them anymore. I was hooked.

And then it ended. Those of you who know me, know that I like messy and ambiguous endings. Except this one. I was left absolutely baffled and unsure what the point of the whole exercise actually was. This was too much even for me.

Apparently there are two more similar books to come. I doubt that I will bother with them after this experience.